THE 2004 CAMPAIGN: CAMPAIGN BRIEFING -- THE STATES; SPEAKING AS A FATHER, NOT A SON

Published: October 7, 2004

The Republican candidate for the United States Senate in South Carolina, Representative Jim DeMint, left, apologized for saying, when questioned about a comment that gays should not work in public schools, that unwed pregnant women should likewise be banned. Mr. DeMint said he was speaking as a parent who wants the best for children when he made the remark on Tuesday. ''I clearly said something as a dad that I just shouldn't have said,'' said Mr. DeMint, a father of four. ''And I apologize.'' While responding to questions about the earlier comment on gay teachers, Mr. DeMint told The Aiken Standard, ''I would have given the same answer when asked if a single woman who was pregnant and living with her boyfriend should be hired to teach my third-grade children.'' His campaign manager, Terry Sullivan, said he did not mean to offend anyone with either comment. Mr. DeMint, a three-term congressman, was raised by a single mother.